How To Change Default Search Provider In Internet Explorer 8

Like most browsers, Internet Explorer 8 gives the choice of multiple Search Providers. You can choose which provider you would like to use when you search for information on the Internet. When you first install Internet Explorer, you might have only one provider installed.

You can add other search providers to the list which shows in the drop down menu from the Search Box and also create your own search provider in Internet Explorer 8. You can change the search provider temporarily for a specific search or specify which search provider you prefer to be used by default.

How to change the Default Search Provider

1. Click the drop down menu of the Search Box.
Select ‘Manage Search Providers’.

2. The ‘Manage Add-ons’ window opens.

Select the Search Provider that you like to set as default here. If you are doing this after a fresh installation, then you may want to add a Search Provider to Internet Explorer 8 first.
3. Click on ‘Set as default’ button. In the example shown here, we have set Google as the default search provider.

The default search provider is now changed and this can be seen in the drop down menu of the Search Box.

How to change the Search Provider temporarily

Click on the drop down menu of the Search Box.
Choose the search provider you want to use.
This search provider will be effective till the end of the session i.e., till you close Internet Explorer 8.The next time you start IE8, the search provider is back to the default.